This
March 22, 2018 of Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art at
Sotheby's New York is highlighted by numerous fine sculptures and some
very
nice watercolors.

Lot 1031
is an impressive bronze figure of Ekadashamukha Lokeshvara from Tibet
in the 13th Century. It is 37 inches high.

The
catalogue entry provides the following commentary:

"the
standing eleven-headed and eight-armed Avalokiteshvara with primary
hands in anjali mudra, the lowered right hand
in varada mudra, separately cast ritual implements now
missing from the remaining hands, wearing the ornaments of a
bodhisattva including a sanghati tied
at the waist with a jewelled clasp, armbands and necklaces inset with
gems, tripartite bracelets and circular beaded earrings, and an
elaborate crown inset with semi-precious stones upon the three
principal heads, with a figure of Buddha flanked by adepts to the front
of the crown and each face with peaceful countenance, topped by seven
heads in three tiers with gem-set crowns and wrathful faces, with the
head of Amitabha Buddha appearing above, all heads, hair and crowns
adorned with ritual polychromy.

"The bodhisatttva Ekadashamukha
Lokeshvara is depicted with eleven heads, as described in
the ancient Indian text ‘Arya Avalokiteshvara Ekadashamukha Nama
Dharani’.

"This
form of the bodhisattva has been popular with Tibetan
Buddhists since the reintroduction of the faith in the country during
the Chidar,
or Later Diffusion of Faith, corresponding to around 1000-1200 C. E.
The iconography of this example corresponds to eastern Indian Pala
period (c. 750-1200) sculpture, such as a twelfth century northern
Bengal copper alloy statue depicting Ekadashamukha Lokeshvara now in
the Potala, see Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in
Tibet, Hong Kong, 2001, Vol I. p. 238, pl. 72A.

"The
cult was not popular in Nepal in this early period, and it may be
assumed that it was Indian Buddhist culture that was the source of the
deity’s practice in Tibet. Indeed the style of the present example owes
much to the artistic traditions of the Pala period, including the
linear stance, as seen in the Pala example of the same iconography, and
the necklace with distinctive inverted teardrop pendants held by flower
petal clasps; compare the necklace pendants on an eleventh century
Pala period crowned Buddha in Mindroling, ibid., p. 265, pl. 84C.
Also compare the Tibetan 1150-1250 copper alloy Tathagatas at Nyethang
monastery, ibid.,
Vol. II, pp. 1166-7, pls. 310A-E, including the drop necklace, circular
beaded earring and armband design, the casting sprues left in place in
the crown, and the scrolling vine design of the central element of the
crown, including the miniature image of Buddha.

"Nyethang
was one of the principal residences in Tibet of the Indian guru Atisha
(982-1054), founder of the Kadam order, who was known to have employed
Indian artists, the legacy of whom is manifest in this important statue
of Ekadashamukha Lokeshvara. It remains one of the larger copper alloy
examples of the bodhisattva outside Tibet which date to this
early formative period of Tibet’s art history; for a large and later
example, dating to circa 1400, see Pratapaditya Pal, Himalayas: An
Aesthetic Adventure, Chicago, 2003, p. 226, pl. 147."

The lot
has an estimate of $1,500,000 to $2,000,000. It sold for $1,637,500 including the
buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article.

The sale total was $6,911,250 with 57 for
the 68 offered lots selling (86.2 percent).

"This
highly important sculpture is a superb representative example of the
Gandharan style of art which flourished in the northwestern part of the
Indian subcontinent from roughly the first through the fifth centuries
of the Common Era. The region of Gandhara which comprised parts of
modern Afghanistan and Pakistan, was strategically located at the hub
of the ancient Silk Routes, and was an area of prime military and
commercial significance in antiquity. The region was
particularly influenced by Hellenistic culture resulting from the
military campaign of Alexander the Great in the fourth Century BC. The
legacy of Hellenism that he left in his wake was integrated with local
traditions creating a multi-cultural lexicon out of which was born the
Gandharan School, a unique amalgam of East and West.

"The
hybrid character of Gandharan art found powerful expression in
Buddhism, which was the dominant religion in this area. Buddhism
flourished in this region from the first Century BC. reaching its
apogee under the mighty Kushan emperors. The Kushan Period (1st Century
BCE - 3rd Century CE) is considered the golden age of Gandharan
Buddhist Art during which the construction of stupas, temples and
monasteries, all housing images of the Buddha, dominated the Gandharan
cultural spehere.

"The
underlining feature of Gandharan art was its cosmopolitan nature which
combined Greek and Roman artistic modes with strains of Scythian,
Iranian and other traditions bound together with a strongly Indic
orientation. The agglomeration of these diverse artistic influences is
aptly displayed in this sculpture of the standing Buddha, which
suggests the model of the Greek logos or orator. The frontal
and linear orientation of the image is characteristic of Palmyrene art,
while the treatment of the symmetrical oval face and deeply carved eyes
hark back to the classical Greek tradition. The conventionalized
treatment of the drapery in parallel folds is akin to the Imperial
Roman tradition, and yet the innate spirituality of the image is purely
Indic. The Buddha’s missing right hand would have possibly been raised
in abhaya mudra, the fear abiding gesture, which not only
signifies security but also implies instruction and assent. The
well-proportioned face with narrow heavy-lidded eyes and softly curving
lips, the powerfully modeled body with the musculature of the upper
torso subtly defined beneath the garment and the vigorous treatment of
the drapery with its prominent heavy folds emphasized by undercut
ridges, coalesce to make this a superlative example of Gandharan
craftsmanship.

"The
current image is one of the few examples of highly important
life-sized figures from the region to have survived to the present day.
The tallest known freestanding Gandharan sculpture of the Buddha is the
three meters tall figure from Sahri Bahlol, see H.
Ingholt, Gandharan Art in Pakistan,
New York, 1957, no. 210. While Gandharan sculptures reveal a
variety of stylistic types, the present example may be assigned to the
'mature' phase defined by Zwalf, or Group III as defined by Ingholt.
For further discussion on phases and styles see W.
Zwalf, Gandharan Sculptures in the British Museum, vol. I &
II, 1996, pp. 69-72.

"The
looped end of the garment held in the Buddha’s hand is a naturalistic
detail that adds realism to this wonderfully serene image. For a
similar treatment of the drapery with the garment looped in the hand
the figure may be compared to a smaller standing Buddha in the Tokyo
National Museum, see Isao Kurita, Gandharan Art: The World of the
Buddha,
vol. I & II, 2003, p. 78, pl. 201. The rendering of the facial
features, the hairstyle and the treatment of the drapery is most
closely related to that of a large bust of the Buddha from Sahri Bahlol
now in the Peshawar Museum, see H. Ingholt, Gandharan Art in
Pakistan,
New York, 1957, no. 223, but the current example is more complete and
includes the beautifully rendered detail of the left hand."

The
lot has an estimate of $1,200,000 to $1,500,000. It sold for $1,095,000.

Lot
1025 is a very fine torso of a goddess, sandstone from the Angkhor
Period, Baphuoun style, circa 11th Century. It is 20 1/4 inches
high. It has an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. It sold for $37,500.

Lot
1022, Figure depicting Uma, bronze, Southern India, Chola period, 12th
century, 18 5/8 inches high. It come from the collection of Edwin
and Cherie Silver, which the catalogue described as "one of the great
American collections of non-western art" and includes "impeccable"
examples of South Asian, African, Pre-Columbian, Oceanic and American
Indian Art.

The catalogue provides the following commentary:

"Uma,
consort of Shiva standing in gracefultribhangaon a
circular lotus base supported by a square pedestal with two attachment
loops, her pendent left hand inlola mudra, the right hand raised inkatakahasta mudra, and wearing a
diaphanous clingingdhotidelicately
incised with scrolling foliate designs, wide belt around her hips
suspending festoons, meditation cord falling diagonally across her
chest, and jeweled collar, her hair arranged in a tiered conicalkarandamukuta, with two tresses
escaping onto her shoulders."

The
Silvers acquired the lot at Sotheby's in 1998 and it had been
previously owned by Ben Heller and Alice M. Kaplan.

"Bronze
images," the catalogue entry continued, "created between the 9th
through the 13th centuries in South
India are widely hailed as iconic masterpieces throughout the world.
During this period most of the South Indian peninsula was under the
rule of the Chola dynasty. At the height of their power, the Cholas
controlled a vast swathe of territory that included not only southern
India but also extended to Sri Lanka and the Maldive Islands. The Chola
period is notable for its unparalleled cultural and artistic
achievements and is widely considered to be a 'golden age' in Indian
history. Indeed the standards set in bronze casting, sculpture,
painting and architecture continue to define these traditions in South
India to this day. Besides the skill required in casting, Chola
craftsman perfected the harmony of line and form in these images
creating some of the finest free-standing sculptures in existence.

"Chola
monarchs were active patrons of the arts, building numerous temples and
commissioning thousands of sculptures in stone and bronze for the
purpose of worship in these edifices. It was during this era of
powerful patronage buoyed by unfettered economic prosperity that some
of the finest Indian stone and bronze sculpture was produced.

"Uma,
or Parvati as she is known outside of Southern India, is revered as the
essential companion to the omniscient, all powerful Shiva. Not only is
she the epitome of benevolence, beauty and grace, it is through her
that Shiva’s obdurate divinity can be comprehended.

"This
image of Uma together with that of her Lord Shiva would have been
carried in processional worship around the temple and town in which
they were housed so that all worshippers had the opportunity to view
the icons and partake of their grace.

"Uma can
assume many forms, some ferocious, others benign. As Durga or Kali she
is depicted as a fierce and wrathful deity. When she is being
represented as the wife of Shiva, she is shown as gentle and loving,
and is usually smaller in scale than her consort. Her right hand, as
can be seen in the present example, is held in a distinctive gesture
with her forefinger almost touching her thumb, forming a ring where a
flower could be placed.

"Uma's
posture suggests that this image would have once been a part of a set
of images in which she accompanied Shiva in one of his manifestations,
and it is likely that this stance would represent Uma with Shiva as
Lord of the Dance. As his wife and consort she was one of the few being
allowed to witness his performance, and an attendant statue of Uma is
integral part of Shiva Nataraja imagery. With her left hand pendent and
hip thrust out, she would have been placed on the left side of the God,
although they are now separated."

For a
related image of Uma from the Rockefeller Collection at Asia Society
New York see Denise Leidy,Treasures of Asian Art,New
York,p.52, no. 34.

The
lot has an estimate of $180,000 to $220,000. It sold for $325,000.

Lot
1023 is a bronze figure of Appar from Southern India, circa 13th
Century. It is 22 3/4 inches high

The
catalogue entry provides the following commentary:

"The
creation of bronze images for the purpose of worship began in the
eighth century during the Pallava period but the art of metal casting
reached its apogee under the patronage of the Chola monarchs. Chola
bronzes were made from wax models using the ‘lost wax’ or cire perdue
process. The finest bronzes comprised an alloy of at least five metals (panchaloham),
which included copper, tin, lead, gold and silver. The fact that these
were solid cast indicates the extent of the expense undertaken in the
production of these ritual icons. Besides the skill required in
casting, Chola craftsmen perfected the harmony of line and form in
these images creating some of the finest freestanding sculptures in
existence. The perfect equipoise of the saint in the present image
attests to the mastery achieved by the bronze casters while his serene,
idealized countenance captures the spirit ofbhaktior
loving devotion closely associated with the subject.

"Bronze
images such as these were objects of devotion in Shaivite shrines.
Shiva was the kulanayaka or dynastic patron deity of the Chola
Emperors. They built shrines dedicated to his worship throughout their
lands which were repositories for numerous bronze images of the Lord
and his pantheon including thenayanmars,
a group of sixty-three Shaiva saints who are widely venerated in South
India. These holy men traveled throughout the land singing hymns in
praise of the Lord Shiva and their songs and poems form a rich corpus
of devotional literature constituting the core of the Tamil sacred
canon, known as the Tevaram.

"The
most famous of the nayanmars was the child saint Sambandar who is
reputed to have lived in the seventh century. The saint Appar, subject
of the present image, who was older, was his contemporary and it is
believed that the title Appar, or “revered father,” was conferred upon
him by Sambandar. Appar was a Jain monk who converted to Shaivism
and is thus portrayed with a shaved head. He approached Shiva as a
humble servant and performed menial tasks in his temples including
clearing the weeds that sprang up within the temple premises. That is
why he is commonly pictured with a hoe in the crook of his arm. In
early images the hoe was cast along with the figure. Later it was added
separately. The present image is missing its hoe but Appar’s gentle,
humble persona is very accurately portrayed.

"Alongside
the worship of Shiva there were specific festivals in the calendar
celebrating thenayanmarsthemselves.
As part of ritual practice, the images were lustrated with water,
honey, butter and milk and rubbed down with ash. They were then
anointed with sandal paste and vermilion, clothed, garlanded and
carried around the town or temple premises in ritual procession so that
all devotes had the opportunity to gain adarshanor view of
the holy icon.

"This
image has passed through the hands of some of the most legendary
collectors of South Asian Art in the twentieth century - J. R. Belmont,
Christian Humann and Robert Hatfield Ellsworth. For a closely related
figure of Appar in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, see
Vidya Dehejia,The
Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India, New York,
2002, cat. 29, pp. 156-57."

Lot
1036 is a fine gilt-bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni on a lion
throne, Tibet, 14th Century. It is 12 3/4 inches high.

The
catalogue entry provides the following commentary:

"This
radiant image in gem-set gilt copper depicts the Buddha Shakyamuni with
his hands in the gesture of turning the Buddhist Wheel of Law and
expounding the dharma.
The lions in the throne are a symbol of the Buddha’s Shakya clan, and
an ancient Indian emblem of royalty and power. Scrolling vine around
the base represents the branches and tendrils of the lotus on which the
Buddha is seated, the flower symbolising purity and renunciation.

"The
sculpture epitomises the qualities of Newar master artists working for
Tibetan patrons in the fourteenth century. Nepalese sculptural
traditions are seen in the simple yet sensuously modeled, and perfectly
proportioned figure of Buddha, the subtle colour of the expertly inset
gem decoration on the throne cloth below and the rich hue of the
mercury gilding. The pedestal design reflects Tibetan preference for
sculptural embellishment in the exuberance of the scrolling vine
motif, compare a central Tibetan seated gem-set gilt copper alloy
figure of Manjushri with scrolling vine throne, see Pratapaditya Pal,Art of the Himalayas,
New York, 1991, p. 125, cat. no. 65, where Pal notes that such floral
design along the bottom of the lotus base is commonly seen on Tibetan
painting of the period but almost never on Nepalese bronzes.

"The
rectangular undecorated panel at the back of the throne indicates how
the statue was placed in a larger temple setting: where now there is a
hole, a sturdy tang once protruded which would have been used to locate
and secure the statue in its designated position, cf. the statues of
Densatil that are fixed in position in this manner, see Olaf Czaja and
Adriana Proser, eds,Golden
Visions of Densatil, New York, 2014, p. 46-7.

"Compare
the scrolling vine throne, the lotus petal design, the subtle inset
jewellery and the clean and elegant sculptural line of a fourteenth
century gilt copper alloy Amoghasiddhi in the Berti Aschmann Collection
at the Museum Rietberg, that was included in the 2014 exhibition
“Golden Visions of Densatil: A Tibetan Buddhist Monastery” at Asia
Society Museum,ibid.,cat.
no. 31: compare also the scrolling vine motif on the lotus
pedestals of two Vajravarahi gilt bronzes from Densatil,ibid.,
cat. nos. 42-3. Compare also a fourteenth century gilt copper alloy
Vajrasattva in the Drigung Thil monastery collection, with similar
scrolling vine motif on the pedestal and subtle inset jewellery, see
Ulrich von Schroeder,Buddhist
Sculptures in Tibet, Hong Kong, 2001, Vol. II, p. 1041, pl. 260."

Lot 1035
is a 14th Century gilt-bronze figure inlaid with silver of a crowned
Buddha from Tibet. It is 11 2/3 inches high.

The
catalogue entry provides the following commentary:

"This
superb sculpture of a crowned Buddha Shakyamuni is a testament to the
powerful legacy of the Newari aesthetic imported into Tibet from the
Kathmandu Valley in the medieval period. Displaying tremendous
power and presence, this figure demonstrates the marriage of classical
Nepalese and Tibetan sculptural elements in its luxuriant gilding,
elegant beading and engraving, the cold gilding of the face and use of
polychromy, and delicate use of inlay of semi-precious stones.

"This
powerful and iconic bronze depicting Buddha Shakyamuni in the
earth-touching gesture or bhumisparsha mudra recalls
the moment of his Enlightenment, in which he called upon the earth as
his witness. The Nepalese influence is strongly demonstrated in the
wide forehead with straight hairline, the gilt domed ushnisha,
inlaid urna, the short neck, the broad and muscular shoulders with
torso narrowing to a defined waist.

"Compare
the elegant hem, drape and twist of the Buddha’s sanghati along
the upper arm and body with left shoulder exposed, with fourteenth
century bronzes from the Nepalese school in Tibet, see. Ulrich von
Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol. II, p. 962—3, figs.
231A and 231C."

Lot 1032 is a bronze with
silver and copper inlay of a Figure depicting Samkshipta Guhyaka
Manjushri, from Tibet, 13th Century. It is 13 inches high.

The
catalogue entry provides the following commentary:

"The rare form
of thebodhisattvaseated
invajraparyankasanaon
a double-lotus throne, with six peaceful faces and two arms, the
primary faces withtriratnaor
triple gem crowns ornamented with semi-precious stones, the eyes inlaid
with silver and the lips inlaid with copper, with traces of cold gold
and blue polychrome at all faces and hair cascading down the shoulders
in thick plaits, wearing thebodhisattvajewelry
including large circular earrings, necklaces armbands with
semi-precious stones, both hands indhyanasanaat the
lap, the right and left hands grasping lotus stems with the lotuses
supporting pustakamor
books ornamented with atriratnaover each shoulder,
wearing a diaphanous ankle-lengthdhotiwith chased
foliate motif secured at the back with an elegant knot, the bottom edge
of thedhoti with
bands of silver and copper inlay, with extent bronze lug at verso upper
back."

Lot
1002 is an illustration to the Mahabharata, India, Punjab Hills, Mandi,
opaque watercolor on paper heightened with gold, circa 1830. It
is 9 1/2 by 6
1/4 inches. It has an estimate of
$5,000 to $7,000. It sold for a
hammer price of $1,900.

Lot
1009 is a lovely opaque watercolor on paper heightened by gold of
Maharana Sardar Singh Riding an Elephant. It is from India,
Devgarh, circa
1840. It measures 8 3/8 by 5 3/4
inches. It has a modest estimate of $1,000
to $1,500. It sold for a hammer price of $600.

Lot 1007, an
illustration to the Bhagavata
Purana: Krishna Subdues the Serpent King Kaaliya, opaque watercolor on
paper heightened with gold, India, Mandi, mid-17th Century, attributed
to the Early Master at the Court of Mandi, 12 3/8 by 8 5/8 inches

Lot 1007 is an impressive and
very fine illustration to the Bhagavata
Purana: Krishna Subdues the Serpent King Kaaliya. It is an opaque
watercolor on
paper heightened with gold, from India, Mandi, mid-17th Century, and is
attributed
to the Early Master at the Court of Mandi.

The catalogue provides the following commentary:

"This superb illustration is a
recent discovery that may be attributed to the Early Master at the
Court of Mandi active in the period 1635-1660 during the reigns of Raja
Hari Sen and his son Raja Suraj Sen of Mandi. It adds significantly to
the small corpus of known works attributed to this master and presents
an extraordinary opportunity to acquire a rare and previously
unpublished masterpiece.

"Here
we see a youthful Krishna dancing with his arms outstretched on one
head of the serpent Kaaliya. He stands within a vibrant golden
mandorla. Crowds of onlookers - his young companions, gopas,
gopis and village elders watch in amazement - standing to the left and
right. Below in the River Yamuna the naga wives of the serpent
Kaaliya implore Krishna to spare their husband - offering tributes of
lotus blossoms. Pairs of birds fly across the brilliant
jade-green ground. Above in the swirling clouds Brahma, Shiva and
Parvati, Kings, Devas and a Rishi shower blessings on the scene
below. The clouds tinged with vibrant vermilion red. A
lapis blue sky above.

"The
present folio belongs to a Bhagavata Purana series first attributed to
“The Early Master of the Court of Mandi” by Catherine Glynn in two
groundbreaking articles in 1983 and 1995 (Catherine Glynn, "Early
Painting in Mandi" Artibus Asiae 44/1, 1983, pp. 21-64 and
Catherine Glynn, "Further Evidence for Early Painting in Mandi" Artibus
Asiae 55 1995, pp. 183-190). This scholarship dated the series to the
mid-seventeenth Century and identified the hand of the artist who was
responsible for introducing and developing a style directly influenced
by Mughal painting. These mannerisms are notable. They include
the highly Mughalized naturalism in the portraiture of several of the
onlookers, particularly the realistic depiction of the village elders -
perhaps portraits of Mandi nobility. The overall composition and
color palette featuring the brilliant jade green ground and extremely
vibrant lapis/ultramarine sky tinged with vermilion are also
noteworthy. The particular shaded facial types of several of the
females are similar to - but distinct from - faces seen in Bikaner
paintings. Our present painting is surely one of the liveliest and most
impressive works known by the artist. Another painting from the
same Bhagavata Purana series in the Kronos Collection at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art may be considered a companion folio.

"For
more discussion on the artistic development of The Early Master at the
Court of Mandi see Stella Kramrisch "Painted Delight: Indian Paintings
from Philadelphia Collections" Philadelphia Museum of Art 1986 no. 113;
and Stuart Cary Welch,A
Flower From Every Meadow, New York, 1973, cat. 33, p. 65. Also see
Sotheby's London, October 19 2016, lot 5.

It
has an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It sold for a hammer price of $700,000!

Lot
1004, illustration to the Bhagavata Purana: Balarama Parts the Waters
of the Yamuna, opaque watercolor on paper heightened with gold, India,
Kangra or Garhwal, circa 1840, 8 3/8 by 6 1/4 inches. It has an estimate of $3,000 to
$4,000. It sold for a hammer
price of $3,200.

Lot
1003 is an
Illustration to the Bhagavata Purana: the Infant Krishna Slay the
Demoness Putana. It is attributed to the workshop of
Seu-Nainsukh, opaque
watercolor on paper heightened with gold, India, Guler, circa
1780-90. It measures
9 1/4 by 6 5/8 inches. It has an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. It sold for $55,000.

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